


Felnys' Visit

by Blueshifting



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Abuse, Child Abuse, Dimension Travel, Gen, Hurt Merlin (Merlin), Non-Sexual Slavery, Physical Abuse, Slavery, Teen Merlin (Merlin), because he's 15, but adult Merlin's also there
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-05-12
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:01:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24061006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blueshifting/pseuds/Blueshifting
Summary: No one believed the myths about gods visiting the mortal realm, until he arrived with proof. They can't afford to offend the god, Felnys, who's known for his cruelty, but he has a young Merlin from another dimension in tow, and they'll do whatever it takes to save him, while protecting their own Merlin.
Relationships: Knights of the Round Table & Merlin (Merlin), Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 23





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Felnys isn't based on any particular god or religion. His name means 'cruelty'.

No one had believed the legends about gods visiting the mortal realm to be anything more than fantasy. Naturally, when he appeared in the council meeting, they thought him to be a sorcerer: a powerful one, but human nonetheless. But the god showed that when his skin was cut, golden blood flowed from the wound, a trait only the gods had. He announced that he would return in one week’s time, and that he wished to meet with the king and his closest knights. He also left them with his name: Felnys. 

King Arthur was able to calm the council quickly; he knew how to be level headed in a crisis, which relaxed them considerably. 

“Gaius, have you ever heard of this Felnys?” Arthur asked.

“Yes, sire. Felnys is a god known for his fierce and cruel nature. It would be a folly to cross him, even more so than most other deities,” Gaius said.

They extended the council meeting considerably, so they could discuss the pressing issue of dealing with the Felnys. Arthur worried for his subjects. He vowed to himself that he would protect his subjects from the god’s wrath. He was also somewhat aggravated that he had to delay the legalization of magic. And after the god leaves, the people might fear magic even more if Gaius is to be believed about the god’s cruelty. Unfortunately, Gaius is usually right. 

True to his word, Felnys returned in a week. He appeared out of thin air, just as he did during the council meeting. Arthur exchanged the expected greetings with him (since there was no protocol for how to treat a visiting god, Arthur treated him as he would treat a visiting king). 

“How was your journey?” Arthur asked.

“Quick and easy— I only needed to cross dimensions and teleport here,” Felnys said.

Arthur and knights were silenced for a moment in surprise, but Arthur recovered quickly. “We will meet with you here for dinner tomorrow, if that’s amenable to you.”

“It is, thank you,” the god replied.

“Do let someone know if there’s anything you want,” Arthur said.

"There is something— may I bring my human?" Felnys asked, though his tone made it clear that it wasn't a request. 

"Yes," Arthur replied hesitantly. He'd rather the deity not bring someone who was essentially a slave (or so Arthur assumed— the phrase 'my human' has certain implications), but he couldn't risk offending this guest. The knights seemed similarly conflicted. "But I must ask: how did you come to have a person?"

"He offered himself to me in exchange for saving his village; I've protected the people there ever since. It was very noble of him to sacrifice himself-- that's what I like about him. I've had him for two years now. Anyway, he's very well behaved, so he won't be a problem. He was rather feisty at first, but I've rectified that. Here, I'll let you meet him," he said. 

His eyes glowed gold, brighter than any sorcerer's, and a boy appeared. He was dressed in tight-fitting black clothes, had a gold choker on his neck, and gold bracelets encircled his thin wrists. The boy's head was bowed, preventing Arthur from seeing his face. But as he bowed more deeply to the god and said, "Hello, my lord," Arthur could have sworn that he recognized that mop of black hair. 

"Why don't you introduce yourself?" Felnys told him. 

The boy turned and looked around for a moment. He bowed once again and said, "Hello, my lords. I'm Merlin. Thank you for allowing me to be here." When he looked up, Arthur had to stifle a gasp. It really was Merlin. He was younger and thinner than Arthur had ever seen him, but it was unmistakably him. 

"How old are you?" Arthur couldn't help but ask. 

"Fifteen summers, my lord," Merlin replied. Arthur felt sick. He was only fifteen, and the god said that he's had him for two years. Merlin would've only been thirteen when he was taken.

The deity's eyes narrowed. "Merlin, what did I say about speaking?"

"Not to speak unless spoken to," Merlin replied. "But the king asked me a question, my lord."

"But I am your lord, not him. You must look to me for permission before responding to another. Do you understand?"

"Yes, my lord."

"And only I am your lord, Merlin. You may address the king as 'sire' and the knights as 'sir', but you cannot refer to anyone else as your lord."

"Yes, my lord."

"I cannot let this go unpunished. Turn around." 

"No, my lord, please don't!" Merlin cried.

The god ignored him, and grabbed Merlin, spun him around, and grabbed his arm. He began to pull it upward, agonizingly slowly, until it broke. Merlin screamed and tears welled up in his eyes. The god looked entirely unperturbed. “So, Merlin,” he began, “what do you have to say?”

“I-I’m sorry, my lord,” Merlin said, voice trembling. 

“Do you have anything else to tell me?” Felnys asked, clearly looking for a specific answer.

“Broken bones heal stronger. Thank you for making me stronger, my lord,” Merlin recited. 

Arthur and the knights were at a loss for words— except for Gwaine. He yelled, “You sick bastard! Why would you do that to Merlin?”

The god said, “How I discipline him is no business of yours. Although I must say, you seem more outraged on his behalf than you would be for a stranger… He’s from my dimension, but do you happen to know him in this world?”

“He’s my servant,” Arthur said, having finally found his words (and omitting the fact that Merlin would be promoted to court sorcerer once he finished legalizing magic). 

“He’s my best friend,” Gwaine said angrily, “and you have no right to abuse him!”

Felnys smirked. “I’m the guest here, and none of you can afford to offend me. I’m afraid that there’s nothing you can do.” He turned to Merlin. “Are you going to speak out of turn again, Merlin?”

“No, my lord.”

“Good. But I have to be certain; I wouldn’t want you embarrassing me in front of the king’s court! So you understand that I’ll have to take certain measures.”

Merlin’s eyes widened in fear. Before anyone could question what the god meant, his eyes glowed gold once again, and a needle and thread appeared and began sewing Merlin’s lips shut. He writhed in pain until it was over, and the thread tied itself off and the needle disappeared. Arthur and the knights cried out in fury, having forgotten all decorum. 

Felnys gently wiped away some of the blood dripping from Merlin’s lips. “I’m sorry, but you shouldn’t have made me do this. I’ll take it off tomorrow, but I suppose you’ll have to go without dinner tonight,” he said. Merlin nodded mutely, and seemed to be holding back tears. Felnys turned to his horrified hosts and said, “I think I’ll retire to my chambers. Merlin will stay in the antechamber, of course, and I’ll set his arm. I bid you farewell.” He turned and walked out, with Merlin walking a step behind.   
After a moment of silence, Arthur said, “Bring Gwen here,” to no one in particular. Gwaine stormed out, fuming with anger. He couldn’t help Merlin, and he needed to be doing something to distract himself from the rage at Felnys and his guilt for being unable to do anything for Merlin. 

Gwaine returned with Gwen a few minutes later. “What happened with the god? Gwaine wouldn’t tell me anything, but something bad must have happened with the way he was acting…” Gwen said. 

“You see, the god can apparently travel between different worlds— different dimensions, he called them. And he brought someone from another one of these worlds: Merlin,” Arthur said.

Gwen gasped. “So he has Merlin, but not our Merlin?” she asked. 

“Yes, my lady,” Leon said. 

“So he’s the god’s servant?” she asked.

“Well—” Lancelot began, trying to think of a tactful way to say it without worrying Gwen too much.

“No, he’s that bastard’s fucking slave! And his punching bag, apparently!” Gwaine interrupted with a yell. 

“What?!” Gwen said. “That— that can’t be!”

“I’m sorry, Gwen, but it’s true. Felnys said that Merlin traded himself for the safety of his village, and he hurt Merlin while he was meeting with us,” Lancelot said. 

“How hurt is he?” Gwen asked. Everyone looked unwilling to tell her the truth. “What happened to him?” They all avoided her gaze, and she became even more worried. “Elyan, what happened?!” She said, hoping that her brother would give her a straight answer.

“Well, um, he broke Merlin’s arm…” Elyan began.

“That’s awful!” Gwen said.

“That’s not it, unfortunately,” Leon said.

“There’s more? What else did he do to him?!” Gwen asked desperately.

“He… sewed Merlin’s lips shut,” Elyan admitted.

Gwen was shocked into silence for a moment, and a tear made its way down her cheek. “Why? Why would anyone hurt Merlin like that?”

“Because he’s a sick bastard! We should rescue Merlin and kick him out of Camelot!” Gwaine said.

“Gwaine, he’s a god! We won’t be able to just take Merlin from him or kick him out!” Arthur said. 

“This is Merlin! We have to save him!” Gwaine yelled.

“Gwaine, there’s nothing we can do right now,” Lancelot said. “We just have to wait until we can figure out a way to help him. Trying to take him from Felnys would probably just make things worse for Merlin,” he explained.

Gwaine fell silent at that. He hated seeing Merlin hurt, but he knew that Lancelot was right. 

“Do you think Merlin will be alright? Obviously he’s not okay right now, but do you think he will be?” Gwen asked quietly.

“He’s strong. He’ll be okay,” Percival said. 

There was really nothing else to say. They were powerless against the god. “Dismissed,” Arthur said, and they all dispersed.

While Gwen was doing her chores, she was stopped by some other servants.

“Um, Gwen, you usually know a lot about what’s going on… Could you answer a question we have?” one of them asked.

“Sure, what is it?”

“The boy the god came with— I know this sounds crazy, but he looks just like Merlin, but younger! And, well, it looked like his arm was broken, and his lips were sewn shut! We’re just— we’re just really worried. Can you tell us what’s going on?”

“Well, the god, Felnys, can travel to other dimensions— different worlds. And the boy is Merlin, just from a different world. Apparently he gave himself to Felnys in exchange for the safety of his village. I’m not sure why Felnys hurt him— I wasn’t there, and the king and the knights were so enraged that they didn’t really explain it,” Gwen said. 

“Oh God, poor Merlin. Does Merlin— our Merlin— know?” Another asked.

“Not yet, he hasn’t gotten back from gathering herbs,” Gwen said. There was an awkward pause. “Anyway, I need to get back to work. The king and the knights are seeing if there’s a way to free Merlin. Hopefully they can figure something out.”

Gwen left, and she knew that the news about the other Merlin would have spread to the whole castle by nightfall. 

Later, Felnys stopped Gwen in the hall. “Could you fetch dinner for me? My servant is temporarily indisposed,” he said.

“Of course, my lord,” Gwen said. 

She returned with dinner as soon as possible. She knocked on the door to his chambers, and he said she could come in. When she entered, she didn’t expect to come face-to-face with Merlin, who was clutching his arm while gently crying. She tried to maintain composure, but she was so distracted that she tripped on the edge of a rug. She was able to catch herself, and none of the food fell off the tray. She set it down on the table, but the god was seething with rage.

“I don’t tolerate clumsy incompetence. If you were mine to discipline, I would have wrung your neck. Consider yourself lucky,” Felnys said. “Dismissed.”

Gwen left his chambers as quickly as she could. She couldn’t keep the god’s rage or Merlin’s suffering and sorrow out of her mind. She ran into Leon while she was wandering the castle, lost in thought. 

“Gwen, what’s wrong?” Leon asked.

“I just served Felnys his dinner, and— and—” she cut off with a sob.

“What happened? Did he hurt you?” He asked, his tone becoming dangerous.

“No, but when I tripped a little, without even dropping anything, he said that if I were his to discipline, he would have wrung my neck. And Merlin was in there, just crying. I’m really worried about him. You know how clumsy Merlin can be; I think that Felnys beat it out of him, or tried, at least.”

“I’ll see if I can gather everyone; they should know what happened,” Leon said.

Gwen and Leon were able to find Arthur and the rest of his closest knights. Gwen relayed her story to them. They were all worried for Merlin and livid at the god. They knew that they had to at least appear congenial to him when they met tomorrow, but it was going to be a difficult task.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We finally see what Felnys wants, and it sucks to be Merlin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight AU- Merlin doesn't know the prophecy/hasn't seen the vision about how Arthur's supposed to die.

Things were tense at the meeting between Felnys, Arthur, and the knights. Merlin, who had come back from gathering herbs, filled Arthur’s cup, without giving a smile or whispering a sly remark like he usually would. The other Merlin apparently had his arm healed by the god, since he was serving Felnys. Arthur and the knights couldn’t help but worry about that— it was chilling to think that Felnys could hurt Merlin without any evidence; he could do anything to Merlin and they would never know. 

Felnys’ Merlin wilted under their gazes; he shied away from eye contact, seemingly afraid to even look at them lest they punish him for it. Their Merlin carried himself with confidence, and was unafraid to look them straight in the eyes, uncaring of rank. It was scarcely believable that these two radically different people were one and the same. Felnys acted as though Merlin was no more than furniture: there, but only noticed if there was something wrong. As Merlin filled his cup, Felnys continued talking without acknowledging him in any way before Merlin took his place behind him. Arthur’s Merlin was quiet, respectful, and didn’t make a spectacle of himself, but he still had an undeniable presence in the room; the other Merlin was invisible in all but the literal sense. While Felnys ignored Merlin, Arthur and the knights would nod or give a small smile to Merlin when he filled their goblets. 

After exchanging pleasantries and stilted small talk, they were far enough into the meal to discuss their reason for meeting. 

“King Arthur, Sir Knights, I’m sure that you’re curious why I came here,” Felnys said.

“Yes, would you care to tell us? I can see if we can come to some agreement on whatever matter brought you here,” Arthur replied.

“I have information, which I’m willing to trade for; I know when you’re going to die, who’s going to kill you, why, and how. It’s information more detailed than any seer or vision can give you,” Felnys said.

They all paused for a moment to take that in. Merlin knew that there was a prophecy about who was going to kill Arthur, but he had never heard it. Quite honestly, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to; after Morgana, he knew that trying to avoid a terrible fate could easily cause it. 

“Surely such valuable information comes with a hefty price. What do you want in exchange?” Leon asked. 

“The servant, Merlin,” Felnys said. “I’m fond of the one I have, and it would be enjoyable to have another. Perhaps that way my Merlin will be less lonesome.”

“No,” Arthur said sternly. “I am not willing to trade away one of my subjects as though they were property!”

“Of course your citizens would dislike such a thing, but surely it’s worth it to save your own life,” Flenys reasoned. 

“My life is not worth more than Merlin’s, or any else’s! My answer is no,” Arthur said.

“Very well then. However, I do plan on staying a fair while longer; you can consider my offer until I leave. Do tell me if you change your mind. I bid you goodnight,” Felnys said. He turned and walked out of the room with his Merlin. 

After Felnys and his Merlin left, Merlin pulled out a chair and sat down. 

“So… that’s concerning,” Merlin said.

“We won’t let them take you, my friend,” Gwaine said. “And you’re not exactly helpless, either.”

“We’re here to help if you do need it, though,” Lancelot said.

“Thanks; it means a lot to know that you’re all there for me,” Merlin said.

“Merlin, please be careful,” Arthur said. “He’s a god— you might not be able to fight him, even with your magic. Stay away from him. Actually, you should sleep in my antechamber while he’s here, so I can keep an eye on you.”

Arthur expected Merlin to protest; Merlin didn’t like to feel babied, or have people think that he couldn’t take care of himself. But evidently he was shaken by what Felnys said, because he relented without a fight.

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea,” Merlin said. 

When Felnys dined with the court the next day, Felnys’ Merlin continued to be silent and fearful. As usual, Arthur’s Merlin served well, but gave the occasional grin or whisper to Arthur or one of the knights instead of being seen and not heard. Arthur and his knights were able to conceal their anger at Felnys well enough to be diplomatic with him.

Felny’s Merlin was walking over to refill the god’s cup, when he half-tripped and a little wine spilled onto the floor. Felnys jumped out of his seat and punched Merlin in the face, knocking him down. The other Merlin, who was close by, moved to help him up, but Felnys froze him in place with a flash of his eyes. Felnys turned his attention back on his Merlin, and kicked him in the ribs, making Merlin curl in on himself and whimper. He gave him a couple of solid kicks, then roughly pulled Merlin back to his feet. 

“Are you sorry, Merlin?” Felnys asked.

“Yes, I’m sorry, my lord!” Merlin gasped, wondering how many of his ribs had been broken.

“Then I can heal you, since you’ve apologized for your misdoing,” Flenys said. His eyes glowed brightly as Merlin’s face stopped swelling where it was hit and returned to normal, and Merlin’s ribs shifted back into place. 

“Thank you, my lord!” Merlin said. 

Felnys’ gaze shifted to Arthur’s Merlin. He stared at him for a moment in consideration.

“You should know not to interfere in things that don’t involve you. How I discipline him is no concern of yours, regardless of the fact that you’re this dimension’s version of him. For your sake, I advise you not to attempt to intervene again; I will not be so lenient next time,” Felnys said, and he unfroze Merlin with a flash of his eyes. 

Luckily, the meal didn’t last much longer; otherwise, Arthur and the knights may not have been able to keep themselves from attacking Felnys. Felnys’ Merlin was hesitant and scared in his every movement, and this world’s Merlin had a worried look about him. 

Once the meal was over, Arthur, Gwen, the knights, and their Merlin met again. Gwen rushed forward to hug Merlin tightly.

“Oh, Merlin! I’m so glad that he didn’t hurt you!” Gwen said.

Merlin hugged back tightly. “I just wish that I could’ve stopped him from hurting the other me,” he said.

“Merlin,” Leon said seriously, “you can’t do anything for him. He’s a god, and you still have to hide your magic. It’s terrible that he’s getting hurt, but trying to save him will only get you hurt too.”

Merlin wilted. “I know, but it’s just— I hate being helpless. Usually I can make a difference in any situation with my magic, even if I have to do it in secret, but with this— I can’t even help myself!” he said. 

“We’ll work something out, Merlin.” Elyan promised. “If the other Merlin has half of your inner strength, he’ll make it through okay once we save him.”

“Yeah, we’ll rescue him, and kick Felnys’ ass!” Gwaine said.

“For now, maybe we should just keep a closer eye on him,” Lancelot said.

“That would be best,” Arthur agreed. “We can’t do anything until we have a solid plan.”  
“I don’t like the way Felnys was looking at our Merlin,” Percival said. 

“I don't either. But Merlin’s already sleeping in Arthur’s antechamber, and there’s not much more we can do for him without it being over conspicuous,” Lancelot said. 

“It’s okay, I can watch out for myself,” Merlin assured them. 

“You be sure to do that, Merlin. Don’t be a hero— just keep yourself safe,” Arthur said.

It took Felnys’ Merlin a while to find the laundry room; it’s not as though there was a sign pointing to it, and he wasn’t allowed to talk to anyone, so he just had to wander around to find it. Once again he cursed the silence that Felnys had imposed on him. He hated being forced to be quiet. It was a terrible adjustment at the beginning, just after he had given himself up to Felnys. He slowly got used to it, with his painful punishments reminding him to hold his tongue. He had become good at only speaking when spoken to, and hadn’t been punished for it in months. But being in a bustling castle, with more people in one place than Merlin had ever seen before, and with people who were apparently also his friends, was so tempting. Merlin wanted nothing more than to have a conversation with them, about anything, even the most mundane things.

“Hi, Merlin,” a girl said when he walked into the laundry room.

Merlin glanced around nervously. “Um, I’m not supposed to talk without permission, but, uh, he’s not here to see it, so I guess it’s okay. What’s your name? I assume that the other knows you?” He asked.

“Yes, I’m Angela,” she said. “We’re friends. We talk whenever we can, and you’re always very kind. It’s strange to see you so young! You’re what, fourteen?”

“I’m fifteen, actually,” Merlin said. “It’s nice to know that I have friends here. I, uh, don’t have any where I’m from. I had one friend back in my village, but Felnys has me now. I only have Felnys to talk to, and, well, he doesn’t let me speak without permission.”

“You must be so lonely,” another maid said. 

“Yeah, I’ve mostly gotten used to it, though,” Merlin said.

“You’re the most talkative person I know,” one man said. “I know that I’d be driven half mad if I didn’t have anyone to talk with; I don’t know how you manage.”

“I wasn’t too good at it at first,” Merlin admitted with a shy grin. “He had to punish me a lot at the beginning, but I’ve learned!”

“The way he treats you is awful!” Angela said, and several other servants voiced their agreement.

“No, I deserve it for misbehaving. He usually doesn’t have to discipline me so much— I swear that I’m usually good! It’s just... there are so many people here and I want to talk to them,” Merlin said.

“There’s nothing wrong with wanting to talk to people,” Angela said.

“You deserve to be treated kindly, Merlin,” a manservant said.

“He’s nice enough. He lets me read a lot, and sometimes he’ll give me a sweet! I have to skip a meal, of course, he can’t have me getting fat, but still! It shows that he cares about me,” Merlin said. 

“But you’re so thin! You shouldn’t have to skip meals!”

Before Merlin could say anything more, Gwen, who had just come in, gave Merlin a long, tight hug. Merlin stiffened in surprise, at first, but he melted into the touch after he realized that he wasn’t going to be hurt. 

“Merlin, when’s the last time someone has touched you without hurting you?” Gwen asked.

“Um, now?” Merlin said, hoping that he was giving her the right answer.

“Before now, I mean,” Gwen said.

“...My mother before I left. She hugged me and told me to be careful,” Merlin said. “She didn’t know what I was going to do. I knew that she wouldn’t have let me sacrifice myself, but it was the only way to save everyone. Still, I miss her. And Will, too.”

“Oh, Merlin. You deserve to be treated with love and kindness, not to be hurt,” Gwen said.

“Well, he doesn’t hurt me much, now that I’ve gotten less clumsy and better at being quiet,” Merlin said.

“He shouldn’t hurt you at all! It doesn’t matter what wrong he thinks you’ve done,” Gwen insisted.

“But don’t nobles often hurt their servants?” Merlin asked.

“Only the bad nobles, and even then it’s generally a slap, not beating, broken arms, or lips sewn shut!” Gwen said.  
“Well, it doesn’t hurt for very long— he usually heals me right after, so it’s okay,” Merlin said.

“No, it’s not okay! He doesn’t have the right to hurt you at all, for any reason!” Gwen said. 

Merlin was about to respond when Felnys came in, slamming the door. “Merlin, you were taking so long to pick up the laundry, and now you’re talking to people. I thought I had cured you of such disobedience. Hands on the wall,” Felnys demanded.

“N-no, please, my lord, don’t! I won’t do it again, I’m sorry!” Merlin cried. 

“Now, or else this will be worse than it has to be,” Felnys said. 

“Don’t!” Gwen said, and she moved to shield Merlin from the god’s wrath.

Felnys’ eyes flashed, and Gwen and the other servants were frozen in place. 

“It isn’t your place to interfere,” Felnys said. “Besides, I’m doing this for his own good.”

Felnys glared at Merlin, and he quickly turned away from the god, put his hands on the wall, and leaned against it, his back to Felnys. The deity magicked up a whip, and hit Merlin three times in quick succession. Merlin fell to the floor with a scream. 

“Get up! I’m giving you another two for arguing with me!” Felnys yelled.

Merlin slowly forced himself back into a standing position, leaning much more heavily on the wall than he was before. Merlin fell back down after the last two strikes. 

“Merlin, what do you have to say for yourself?” Felnys asked.

“I’m… sorry for... talking without… permission, and... for being lax… in my duties. Thank you... for correcting me, my lord,” Merlin forced out, barely able to speak due to the pain. 

The whip disappeared with a flash of the god’s eyes, and with another flash he healed Merlin, his skin knitting itself back together where the whip had torn open his flesh. Felnys walked out, leaving Merlin’s blood on the floor, and Merlin obediently followed behind him. The servants were unfrozen after they left. They all stared at each other in horror.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any feedback would be greatly appreciated! I'd love to hear what you think.

**Author's Note:**

> Another WIP? It's more likely than you think. Anyway, please comment to let me know what you think!


End file.
